An Introduction to Eco-minimalism

In the Augustine United Church
41 George IV Bridge
Edinburgh,
EH1 1EL
On Monday 27 April 2009, at 7pm

The clichéd triple bottom line of Sustainability (Environment, Economy and Society) is more talked about than acted upon. The obsession is nearly always with the single bottom line — i.e. what does it cost? — or, all too often, "how cheap can we build?".

So let us start from this gutter but look at the stars. Let's accept that there is no more money, but we can still deliver green buildings. Since Gaia has been doing this for 25 years — we are happy to pass on a few handy hints and tips.

This talk looks hyper-critically at over-engineered, off-the-peg, "Eco-bling" as well as more conventional building technologies, and contrasts this mis-spending of clients' money with simpler and more effective ways that it could be dispensed whilst still saving the planet, and in the process creating healthier climates, both indoors and out.

The session will start with an introduction to the concept of "Ecominimalism" and will illustrate this with Case Studies.

Howard Liddell is principal in the Scottish/ Norwegian Ecological Design practice Gaia Architects, and visiting Professor at Oslo University. He is the only A-rated Architect under the RIAS Sustainable Design Accreditation Scheme and is the RIAS spokesman and principal adviser to the Scottish Executive on Sustainability. He works on projects throughout Europe with colleagues in GAIA International.